| Ronnie Campbell MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 June 1987 |
|
| Preceded by | John Ryman |
| Majority | 6,668 (17.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 August 1943 Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Deirdre McHale |
| Children | 5 sons, 1 daughter |
Ronald Campbell (born 14 August 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blyth Valley since 1987.
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He grew up in a family of eight brothers and sisters. He attended Blyth Ridley County High School (a secondary modern school, which eventually merged with Tynedale High School in 2000 to become Blyth Community College) on Sixth Avenue in Blyth and left school at 14 to become a coal miner. Before entering parliament he was a district councillor on Blyth Valley Borough Council from 1969 and a lay official of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). He was a miner from 1958-86.
He has been an MP since 1987 when he won his seat by 856 votes, and has often voted against the government on issues such as the Iraq War. After a succession of MPs: Alfred Robens (1950–1960), the deselected but well liked in some quarters Eddie Milne (MP 1960–1974), and the disgraced John Ryman who was perceived as remote, controversial and distant from the community, Campbell has been associated with the regeneration of the former borough of Blyth Valley. He is an outspoken socialist.
Campbell is noted for accidentally supporting the first National Fetish Day, due to him misunderstanding the meaning of the word "Fetish". Campbell said in an interview, "I thought a fetish was a worry, like worrying about backing the right horse."[1] When the government nationalised Northern Rock in 2008, Campbell declared it the People's Bank and opened an account.[2]
In May 2009, during the high-profile MPs expenses scandal, Campbell agreed to give back over £6000 he had claimed for furnishings in his London home.[3] [4]
Campbell has a notable port wine birthmark on his right cheek. Ronnie married Deirdre McHale in 1967, who serves on Northumberland County Council. They have five sons, including a set of twins, and one daughter. Whilst serving as an MP he had a happy reunion with a brother he was previously unaware of that had been adopted.[5]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Ryman |
Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley 1987–present |
Incumbent |